Gambit
by VanG Ziggy ZA
Summary: Before she became a notorious ninja, Nyoko was just an average young girl. Until the Yakuza killed her parents, and she mets up with a raccoon in an orphanage.


_**GAMBIT**_

_**Ziggy's Corner: This story is about one of my OC's Nyoko TwinStrike from my Sly Cooper story, Everything's Relative! Fans of her's who wanted to know how she got the way she is, will enjoy this story, and new fans should like it too!**_

Nyoko looked at her father as he rushed through the house. It was a medium sized building, with three rooms, one bathroom, and a small kitchen, all colored bright orange and brown. The young scorpion didn't know what her father did for a living, but ever since her mother died, he seemed awfully fond of doing it even more!

"Pappa! Where are you going today?" she cried, as her father hurried out of the door. "You promised me you'd take me out for sushi for my birthday." She latched on with her tiny claws, her eyes shining with the light of a beggar's child.

Her father looked down at her, and yanked away. "Young lady," he snapped. "I have enough on my plate without your whining. Now please be a good little girl, and go watch television."

"Father, please," Nyoko cried, pulling on his shirt tail. He frowned and gently pushed her away. "Daddy," she cried, and squealed as he smacked her to the ground. Her eyes lined with water as she looked up, and for a few minutes, she could see her father again, not this ogre who she had been living with, but her real father.

"Sweetheart I really am sorry," Kenshi Blackclaw said, kneeling down to look at her. "Baby… I'm," he tried to figure out the best words, but the forty something was never good with words. "Look, I forgot some importance business, I have to go!"

"But you're always gone!" Nyoko cried. "It's my birthday! I'm four years old today!"

"Little lady, I know how old you are, but daddy is very busy! Now let go of me, so I can go to work!" He pushed his daughter away yet again, and hurried out the door, locking it behind him.

Kenshi hated doing that to his daughter, and would have loved to given her an honest parent, but the truth was he had made many mistakes … many, many mistakes. The yakuza was out of his heels. Dia had warned him to stay away from the tracks, she'd warned him not to take money from his great uncle, but he had refused to listen. His stupidity lost him his childhood sweetheart, he wouldn't let it lose his daughter too.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kenshi slunk into the house, and paid the babysitter her money, sternly telling her not to open the door unless he knocked three times, waited and then rang the door bell twice. "I have that pattern for a reason," he growled softly. Under his arm was a large teddy bear, and two very small boxes wrapped in light pink paper. "Please remember them!"

The teenager huddled under his shadow, and nodded, her long brown pony tail bobbing back and forth. "Sorry sir," she said, rubbing her hands. She took her money and left. After so, Kenshi shut the door, locked it tightly and snuck into his daughter's room, his tail sway nervously as he peered into the dark space.

"You weren't hear for my birthday," a tiny voice sobbed in the darkness.

"Baby, I'm sorry," he whispered, edging toward her door, and flipping the switch. "I really am."

"Is Gweat, gweat, uncle that more important than me?" the tiny scorpion asked. She looked up into his green eyes as he stared at her and watched him shake his head. "He came by and the babysitter let him in. He said he wanted to met me and give me a present!" A tiny claw pointed toward the corner of the room a box, much larger than Kenshi's lay against her closet.. "But he said I wasn't to open it until ten… is it ten daddy?"

Kenshi frowned and blinked. Then his heart pounded against his chest. His uncle had told him right before he had left in a huff, that he should probably expect fire works when he came home. Kenshi turned around his heels and glared at the clock, it was only thirty seconds to ten o'clock!

Kenshi hadn't thought this clearly in ages! He scooped up his daughter, dropping her presents, and rushed for the front door, forgetting he had locked it. With a few strokes of his powerful legs, and tail, he managed to jar it from the hinges, and made an opening small enough for his daughter. "Nyoko, don't argue with me baby, just go through there, get out of the house and as far as you can go! Don't look back!" He glared at the clock, only twelve seconds left. "Don't look back," he told his crying child, as he forced her out of the house. "RUN!"

Nyoko didn't understand what was happening, but she'd never seen her father so frightened. Her legs moved as if on their own, pushing her further and further into the darkness of outside, her tiny voice squealing in terror as she could hear her father's panic voice, instructing her not to look back. As much as she wanted to obey, she was only four years old, and the girl stared one last pacing glance at her father just before a bright light took him, and sent her flailing half way across the street, landing just next to her neighbor's house.

"DADDY!" Nyoko screamed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

She could not remember what had happened next. Nyoko found herself being picked up, staring at a collapsing home, a charred figure clinging to what remained of the dark brown and black front door frame.

The girl only really came to her senses after she was in an orphanage. "Hi!" a young voice said, shyly. She turned and looked at a four year old raccoon. His eyes were as sad as hers and he smiled a little.

"Hi," she said softly.

"My name is Sly," he said. "Would you like to come and play?"

Nyoko frowned and shook her head. Play? Why should she want to do that? Daddy was gone. Mommy would never come back. Still there was something soft and kind about this boy. Nyoko never really accepted his offers to play, or even the plot to take the cookies from the cruel babysitter, but she always kept an eye on him. For three years she'd watched Sly and his band of friends, stand up for each other, strengthen their talents, and grow closer.

The young scorpion also began honing her skills with her tail. She didn't know why, but she had always been fond of twisting and twirling it like a lasso. She was also quite, a talent developed over the months and year after mommy died, that she did not want to disturb daddy. The kids called her shadow, spirit, and even crueller names. And there was Sly, always defending her, always right at her side to push aside the bullies.

Nearing the fourth year at the orphanage, she had finally mustered her courage, and decided that indeed she would join his little band. She spoke to him more and more, and was comforted by his presence. Finally she was ready to join his gang, and was walking down the stairs to find him, when the owner of the orphanage met her by the steps.

"Nyoko," she said with a big grin, "I was coming to look for you!"

"I… I didn't do anything," she said sheepishly.

"I know you didn't," the woman said. "But you see a gentleman has come to adopt you and take you to a new home!"

Joy and sadness both struck home. Nyoko had been passed over and over again during adoptions, her hopes dashed. "Um, that's okay, he doesn't need to."

"But I want to," said a kind, patient voice. A man walked out, a spider with soft yellow eyes and a long flowing brown beard. "I've read your files, and I knew your father."

"Daddy was killed by uncle," she snapped.

"Yes," the spider said with a sigh and clenched teeth. "Your great great uncle is an ass…, er um, let's just say he's not a nice man," he said with a chuckle as the woman who owned the orphanage glanced at his nearly using profanity.

"But I want you to know, I saw your father like a brother, and I can't see any reason why I shouldn't take you and raise you like my own." Of course he didn't tell her that he too, like her cruel ancient uncle was a Yakuza, but there was no reason to frighten the girl. Honor came first, then training and missions. "I know its what both your parents would want."

What Nyoko wanted was to stay in the orphanage, with Sly. Or be adopted with him, how cool would it have been to be his sister? But she knew there was very little choice in the matter. She smiled sadly, and went to pack her bags, hoping to get one last glance of Sly, or even the turtle or hippo who stayed around with him. But as the time came to go, there were no signs of them, and Nyoko fought the tears yet again… knowing she'd never see them again.

Her new father walked her to the car, and the young scorpion stopped in her tracks. Not only was the car a limo, but inside the seat, was a small construction paper version of Sly's face. There was only a small note, and a little tear drop by the edge of it.

"See ya Nyoko." The girl held in her tears as the limo drove from the orphanage. As it did, Nyoko peered through the window, and caught a glimpse of a small raccoon, hanging from his bedroom window, craning his neck as he watched the limo go.

Nyoko let her tears roll now, but she smiled. It would not matter what would happen, her initial thoughts were never to come about as long as she had a choice, one day even if it was a hundred years from now, the two of them would meet again. "See ya… Cooper-San."

**_And she him again, she would, but not before a lot of training, a lot of growing up, and choosing for a time, the opposite side (You can see the adult versions met and go at it in Everything's Relative, for my new readers). But why did Sly forget her? And what about the training? Well we'll see those in the next chapter! I hope I've done well with this. I have to admit, I kinda got teary eyed when Nyoko was adopted and left the orphanage. I hope that isn't TOO weird. See ya soon!_**


End file.
